


A Rush of Blood to the Head

by InfiniteBreath



Category: Dragon Age II
Genre: F/M, Rape/Non-con - Freeform, Somnophilia, Twisted love x 100000000, Unsuspecting!Marian, dark!Anders
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-08
Updated: 2017-10-08
Packaged: 2019-01-10 14:25:23
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,511
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12300990
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InfiniteBreath/pseuds/InfiniteBreath
Summary: Chantry law forbids marriage for mages, and Anders is tired of fighting to have his relationship with Marian be recognized. He chooses to walk a dark path to tie Marian to him forever.





	A Rush of Blood to the Head

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this piece many years ago for an Anon Dragon Age II Kink Event in LiveJournal. I never published it anywhere because the energy of the piece disturbs me so. I took on the anon's kink request to challenge my writing - the sun does not always shine bright in life. I managed to fulfill the request; however, the story ends rather abruptly, and I'm not sure if I'll ever continue the story with a sequel as I previously stated. 
> 
> I'm posting this piece because I came across it tucked away in my files. I'm trying to get back in to writing, and that means I need to embrace the dark part of humanity once again. Officially acknowledging/claiming this piece is the first step toward committing to writing. 
> 
> This piece is posted in its original, raw form.

Life had been good until tonight.

A certain Chantry lackey had inspired a drunken Isabela to open her goddamn mouth about Hawke’s irresistible charm, giggling about how her charisma caused people to imprint on her like baby ducklings. Up until that point, Anders had been quite confident in the bond that he shared with Marian, and not even her past dalliance with the broody elf had managed to ruffle his feathers.

Fenris had tossed his Mari aside like a used doll after one night of passion, and his abrupt departure had torn apart her heart. The elf was a damned fool for abandoning her the way he did, but the bastard’s loss was Anders’s gain. He made sure to remind the beast of it every chance they met.

Varric always commented that karma would come back to bite him in the backside for his smart ass remarks, but Anders always waved off the dwarf’s friendly warnings aside with a laugh. As far as he was concerned, he had nothing to worry about.

But…if the nonsense that Isabela was spouting held any truth in it at all, then Anders had been so very wrong. He was starting to regret coming out to The Hanged Man.

“Look at the way Sebastian stares at her, Anderssss,” she slurred near his ear, draping a heavy arm across his shoulders. “Mr. Chastity can try to deny it all he wants,” she hiccupped, “but even a blind man would be able to see how bad he wants to push her up against the nearest wall and fuck her into the next life.”

Anger burned in Anders’s gut and attempted to rip through flesh and bone to bite off Isabela’s face for daring to utter such words. He felt Justice shift in the back of his mind, and it wasn’t hard to decipher that the voluptuous rogue’s claim had also managed to rile the spirit. Anders took in a cleansing breath and promptly unwound the woman’s arm from around his neck, allowing it to fall heavily into her lap. He ignored the pout that pulled at her lips.

“He can think it all he wants,” Anders snapped, sending a withering glare towards the man sitting at the opposite end of Varric’s long table. “But Marian is with me, she’s mine, and nothing is going to change that – ever.”

“Oh?” Isabela laughed, pushing a shoulder into Anders’s tensed arm. “Then tell me, Mr. Revolution, why is it that your lady love continues to sit beside that delectable piece of man meat instead of walking over here and wrapping herself around you like the devoted lover you believe her to be?”

Isabela laughed at the sour look that settled onto Ander’s face and leaned in close. “I’m telling you, Anders,” she breathed in a husky tone, “she wants him just as much.”

A muscle twitched in Anders’s jaw, and he had to remind himself that Isabela was just being…Isabela. He knew that her drunken rambling was just another harmless attempt to get some kind of rise out of him for the sake of shits and giggles, but the irritated mage was having none of it tonight. He was one second away from making a comment about it being past Isabela’s bed time, when the woman suddenly crawled into his lap and wrapped both arms tightly around his neck.

Her musky scent assaulted his senses as she pushed her body into him and trapped his form into the seat with the strength of her legs. Isabela wrapped them around the waist of the wooden chair and rocked her hips against Ander’s thighs. The world seemed to slow around them, and Anders could feel the weight of various stares on them – mostly Marian’s. Panic and anger surged through his system, and he grabbed the rogue by the upper arms and pushed her away.

“Get off, Isabela,” he commanded. “You’ve had way too much to drink, my friend. It’s time to cut you off.”

“Oh, but, Anders,” she cooed, tweaking the end of his nose. “I want to play with Justice! Do you think he can come out and have some fun? Marian won’t mind, I promise. It won’t be the first time she and I shared the same plaything. She’s always nice enough to send used toys my way after she gets tired of them.”

The blood instantly froze in Anders’s veins, and his breath stilled in his lungs. Something dark manifested in the room at Isabela’s teasing, and Anders found that he couldn’t even look at Marian. Isabela swayed in his lap and pressed the heel of her left hand against her brow. “I feel sick,” she moaned in a pitiful tone. She fell forward and rested her head against the mage’s shoulder, waving Varric off with a flick of her wrist when he came to check on her.

“Shit, Rivaini,” he laughed, brushing aside her sweaty bangs. “You’re really sloshed tonight. I guess not even you can handle the special reserve. I’ll have Edwina open your room so we can walk you to bed,” he offered, walking towards the doorway. “Keep her still, Blondie, I’ll be back in a sec.”

Merrill rushed over towards Isabela’s side with a glass of water and managed to encourage her to take a few sips of it. Marian also moved to stand up, but Sebastian held her in place with a small touch to her wrist, pointing out that Isabela was being taken care of. The scene fueled the anger already simmering in Anders’s gut into a boil of full blown rage, and he had to force himself to release his hold on Isabela’s arms before he accidentally broke them.

Varric returned to his humble suite a few minutes later, announcing that Isabela’s room was open and waiting. Anders made a show of rising from his seat. He guided the rogue’s legs around his waist and wrapped one arm around her torso, slipping his free hand underneath the woman’s buttocks for further support. If his fingers brushed naked skin in the process, well, it wasn’t his fault. He wasn’t the one who made Isabela wear that impossibly short outfit.

“Oh,” the drunken rogue breathed against his neck, pushing back against his touch. “Slide those lovely fingers down just a bit more….”

He locked his eyes with Marian’s for one long heartbeat before tearing his gaze away. Something had unfurled within her blue eyes during that moment, an unnamed emotion that hinted of pain. It left Anders feeling quite satisfied that he had somehow managed to take the last word. Of what exactly, he had no idea, but seeing her shift her body away from Sebastian as a result of his silent stance sent a possessive thrill up his spine.

Anders ignored the questioning look on Varric’s face as he walked past him towards Isabela’s room. He heard Merrill’s concerned footsteps fall in behind him, only to be stilled a moment later by the dwarf.

“Let Blondie tuck her in, Daisy. There’s nothing to worry about, Anders is a healer. He’s all about professionalism.” Suspicion laced the man’s voice, and Anders clearly read the message twisting between the currents: If you fuck up, you’re dead, mage.

He walked down the hall and turned the corner, crossing the doorway of the woman’s room. Anders unceremoniously tossed her onto the twin bed sitting in the far corner. Isabela giggled and tried to keep her hold on Anders’s waist, but the mage was quick to free himself of her powerful legs. Another pout bloomed on the pirate’s full lips as Anders moved to step away, and she quickly sat up, snatching his wrist in a graceful move of dexterity. She pulled him down towards her with a brute strength that he had not known her to possess.

Isabela’s eyes were burning with a dark desire, but there was another emotion entwined in it, and it took Anders a moment to recognize it for what it was: Pity. “I know you love her,” the rogue began, brushing the tip of her nose along the side of Anders’s face.

Her breath was thick with the aroma of whiskey, and it burned the hairs of Anders’s nostrils. “And I like you, despite the fact that you can be a colossal pain in the ass. So I’m going to give you a word of advice, Anders: Keep Hawke close. It only took one slip up from Fenris for Hawke to send him packing. Don’t let the same thing happen to you. Keep her satisfied – I know from an inside source that she likes it rough. If you keep treating her like a delicate flower, she might look for another source to fulfill her needs, and Sebastian’s got several years’ worth of lust tucked up his sleeve.”

Isabela released her hold on Ander’s arm and gave him a quick wink before settling back onto the bed in a provocative pose. “Should you fail, sweet thing, just know Isabela will be here to help you through the grieving process – don’t worry, Fenris and I aren’t exclusive.”

Petrified, Anders watched as she raised her long shirt and pulled her smallclothes to the side, baring the nude flower housed beneath. She touched the folds of her sex with a lone finger, and laughed seductively when the action sent the mage running for the door. Anders quickly shut it closed behind him and leaned heavily against the aged wood.

“Maker, that woman is the devil in disguise,” he breathed, running a shaky hand over his hair.

“You have no idea.”

Anders started and turned towards the source of the voice, and he wasn’t really surprised to see Varric standing on the opposite side of the hallway, his muscled body pressed up against a dirty wall. The dwarf had his arms crossed, and there was a strange look in his eye that spoke of sympathy.

“Look, Blondie, don’t pay attention to anything that Rivaini said to you tonight. It was the special reserve talking. Hawke loves you – any fool can see it. She’s never failed to support you, and she’s not about to abandon you now.”

Varric sighed and ran a hand down his face. “So what if Sebastian has a thing for her? Lots of people do, but Hawke chose you. Sure, you can be a pain in the ass with your ‘free the mages’ bullshit, and you do share your body with a spirit of justice, but you offer her a sense of stability with your affections. There’s a difference between a hot and heavy fling, and a relationship that demands a sacrifice of the heart. Hawke didn’t even blink before handing hers over to you.”

The dwarf uncrossed his arms and pushed himself off of the wall before walking past Anders towards his room. “Just a little something for you to think about before you lose your cool and smite Choir Boy with the heavy hand of justice,” he called over his shoulder. “Love or no, Hawke would never forgive you if you hurt one of her friends.”

Anders watched his friend walk away, and he was wondered at the way Varric’s uncanny ability with words could deflate even the strongest of emotions. He stood there for several long minutes before hearing movement stir up in the room behind him, accompanied by breathy sighs and throaty moans. The tired mage took that as his cue to leave. He walked past Varric’s doorless suite and caught sight of Merrill and his Mari laughing at a story Varric was relating to the small group left in the room.

A renewed surge of fury flared in Ander’s blood at the sight of Sebastian’s arm draped possessively across the back of Marian’s chair, but he forced it down before it managed to reach Justice. He turned Isabela’s advice and Varric’s reassurance over and over in his mind as he stood in the hallway and stared for what seemed like years.  
Finally, when he could bear the sight no longer, Anders turned and walked away from his light. He couldn’t think straight when he was around Mari, and only the dark walls of his clinic could offer him the environment he needed to reflect.

Anders heard the scraping of wood against wood as she called out his name, but he ignored the sweet pull of her voice. If he turned and saw that smug bastard near her again, he was sure that he would lose it. He stalked down the stairs like an aggravated animal, and the drunken crowd of the bar seemed to pick up on his anger. They quickly parted to let him pass, and Anders managed to escape into the night without being forced to see her face again. He quickly made his way towards Darktown and disappeared into the dank atmosphere of his clinic.

He had a lot to think about.

~*~

Anders had stayed away from the estate for a week, choosing to lose himself in his work while he sorted out his thoughts. The first night from home had nearly undone his sanity, but he had managed to force himself to stay firm and remain at his clinic. It wouldn’t do to go home with his mind muddled with jealousy and anger. Marian had promptly visited him the next day, bringing a peace offering of homemade lunch, and he had received her as cordially as possible.

Marian had been uncharacteristically shy that day, toeing the dirt floor with the tips of her boots and playing with the ends of her long bangs. There had been a slight breathy tone in her voice as she talked of idle things that had tugged at his heart something fierce, but Anders had been able to refrain from giving into her silent plea to talk. After sitting through three long appointments, she had finally accepted the fact that he wasn’t ready to discuss what happened at The Hanged Man.

“Are you coming home tonight?” she had asked, chewing on her bottom lip as she made to leave.

“I’ll go home as soon as I’m ready, love,” Anders had replied, not bothering to look at her. He had felt the sadness radiating from her, but the anger still simmering within him had kept him from going to her and offering her comfort. She had left without saying a word, and the absence of her presence had pierced his heart through the center, leaving it in a desiccated state after his lingering joy had bled out.

The memory of that moment was still fresh nearly six days later, and it was all he could do to focus on healing his patients. Isabela’s warning about messing up echoed in his mind off and on, but it was always nullified by Varric’s voice of assurance. The fact of the matter was they were both right in their own ways, and it was this very thought that Anders had been silently chewing on in his mind for several hours.

“You fixed it!” the little girl cried, breaking Anders from his broody reverie. He laughed softly and patted her freshly mended knee.

“You best be careful not to play around on the stairs in the future, darling,” the healer smiled, gently ruffling the girl’s hair. “You never know when one of the steps will be naughty and try to trip you just for fun.”

She laughed and pushed tangled, black bangs away from her dirty face. She couldn’t be more than five years old, but she seemed to be well educated on the hardships of life from living in the slums. It tore at Anders’s heart.

“You’re silly, Mr. Healer, but I like you,” she giggled, and leaned up to plant a wet kiss on the stubble of his cheek before running off to her home.

The roguish light that shined in the girl’s brown eyes reminded Anders of his Mari. There was always a mischievous glint that flickered in the warmth that burned in her gaze, one that seemed to act as a visual reminder to the fact that she was no ordinary woman.

Marian was a bit of wild child; she thrived on spontaneity and the excitement of danger. The years had succeeded in mellowing out her personality a bit, as well as their intimate relationship, but Anders couldn’t help but wonder if she was feeling the infamous itch that was known to plague people in committed relationships. There was nothing to stop her from scratching it either, not if she really wanted to, and that was the crux of the matter.

Anders sighed and began closing up shop, storing away his scarce supply of bandages and potions. He was going to have to replenish his stock soon, which meant asking his love for more funds. Something told him that she might use the opportunity to con him into talking. Money for resolution – it was a rather terrifying thought.

Talk would get him nowhere. If Anders attempted to do the right thing and speak to Sebastian about keeping a proper distance from his Mari, he was sure the man would laugh at his request and dub him a possessive fool for daring to limit her in such a way. He couldn’t perform any acts of violence, because she would never forgive him if he hurt Sebastian - as Varric had reminded that dark night.

Even worse, if Anders talked to Marian about the situation, he might be forced to hear her admit to wanting Sebastian. She might end their relationship just to keep the peace in the group, to spare people’s feelings, and he knew that if she did all that was human within him would die a horrible, agonizing death.

No, in the end, talk was cheap. It created a harmful atmosphere of biased debate that would lead to nowhere. Anders had been trying to talk sense into people for years without success. The time for talk was over; there was only one way to secure his relationship with Marian, and that was through action.

And he knew just what to do.

The royal pompous ass had finally pushed Anders to his limit. The Vael bastard knew that he and Marian had been somehow connected from day one, but the man actively made a point to test the mage’s patience on a daily basis. A light touch to her shoulder, a playful tug to her hair – Anders had tolerated all that he could stand. He hated the fallen prince with every fiber of his soul: Sebastian’s arrogance, his blind faith, and his loyal nature.

Most of all, Anders hated that Sebastian would be able to give Marian everything that he could not: stability, financial security, an even higher ascension in social status – and the pretentious prick knew it. There was nothing stopping the Vael heir from cutting his holy ties with the Chantry and offering his hand to Marian.

Anders’s longtime bond with her was something Sebastian saw as unofficial, a relationship based on sin. Mages were forbidden to marry – there was no one daring enough to sanction a marriage between an apostate and his or her lover. However, there was one way to cement such a union between him and Marian, and not even the pious bastard would be able to question the validity of it.

All it would take was fathering a child with her and claiming her as his wife in the old way, through handfasting.

Anders moved to sit on his worn cot, dropping his full weight into the center of it. The wooden frame creaked in protest, but the man paid it no mind. He stared hard at the lumpy floor and contemplated his last remaining hope of keeping his love by his side.

There was no way in hell Mari would ever agree to have a child with him, at least not now. Her greatest fear was birthing a magical child that would be greeted by a cruel world of prejudice and hate, and she took great precautions against protecting herself from pregnancy. She drank daily doses of tea made from the silphium plant, which was known for protecting against conception, and insisted that Anders don a thin sheet of oiled silk paper around his member before being intimate with her.

While Marian was not a mage, she carried the genes that had the potential of producing a magical child, and the probability doubled when Anders was factored in. She was absolutely committed to the idea of not conceiving a child until there was a reformation in the Kirkwall society regarding the mages - or she was far away from the city’s reach. Unfortunately, neither option would be available to her anytime soon.

Anders wasn’t willing to risk losing her to a pointless wait. He knew that the laws on mages would never change – and he wasn’t going to let the damn regulations take something else from him.  
He rose from his seat with a heavy heart and shuffled over towards his personal trunk, dusting off a thin layer of dirt that had accumulated on the painted wood with a quick swipe of his hand. Anders pulled out an old brass key that he kept hidden in his robes and unlocked the massive padlock guarding his most private possessions. An ominous groan sounded in the room as Anders pushed open the aged lid, and it didn’t take him long to find the object that he was searching for.

Mages were trained by the Circle to become potion masters, and Anders’s particular skill with brewing had allowed him to always stand at the top of his class. He had been entrusted with many recipes over the years, which he had carefully recorded into a personal journal. The mage had also picked up more than a few during his vacations from the tower, and there was one recipe in particular that he knew would aid him in achieving his goal.

Anders walked back towards his cot and sat down on the edge as he flipped through the well preserved pages. The recipe was near the back of the book, and he laid the opened journal on the plateau of his knees and stared hard at the name of the potion. Hora Somni, a name which translated into: ‘at the hour of sleep’.

It was a potion invented by the Trevinter mages for the purpose of completely subduing willful slaves. It was hard for a slave to fight back against sexual advances if he or she was mentally locked in a realm that mimicked sleep. The potion lulled the mind into a state of unconsciousness, but the body would be left in a condition of complete awareness. It would positively react to all physical touch, and if stimulated correctly the person would achieve orgasm.

Someone under the influence of Hora Somni would be spared the mental anguish of enduring the act of being used sexually – and also responding to the moment like a paramour. Anders shuddered and fought the urge to knock the journal from his lap. Rape was such a horrible word, filled with so much negativity and hopelessness. It had no place near his and Mari’s names.

He loved her completely, and that was what separated his plan from the actions of all people who used the potion to defile and conquer. Those heartless bastards employed the potion to sate lust of power and sex. Anders was trying to save love and fortify his bond with Marian. In his eyes, there were miles and miles of separation between him and the slave keepers.

A sense of resolution settled onto his shoulders, and he memorized the ingredient list before storing the book back in his trunk. There was shopping to be done, and according to the recipe, the potion required three days of brewing before it would be complete. Marian’s flux should have passed by then if it had not shifted once again. Hope flared in Anders’s heart, and a sudden smile bloomed on his lips, stretching his chapped lips to the limit.

In three days, he would finally be ready to go home.  
~*~  
Gathering the ingredients for the Hora Somni potion had called for an outing to the Wounded Coast. Anders had gone alone, which was incredibly stupid given the fact that so many criminals used the area for conducting their business, but it was a chance he had been willing to take. His and Mari’s future was depending on success. The glitterdust had evaded him for a while, but a trip into one of the caverns had solved that little issue.

Mari was waiting for Anders at the clinic when he returned to Kirkwall shores, which both terrified him and warmed his heart. Her lovely face was painted over with a pale shade of exhaustion, and the dark circles that marred the delicate skin under her eyes filled Anders with such guilt he was sure he would die from it. He felt like such an ass for putting her through so much stress and heartache, and he was determined to begin atoning for it all.

It was oddly easy for him to give into the primal urge tugging hard at his center, and Anders wasn’t sure which one of them was more surprised when he drew the curtains closed around his space and ushered Marian to the nearest wall. Words had yet to pass between them, but his Mari acquiesced to his touch without reservation. She was wearing an outfit that signified her as a high noble, and he thumbed the edge of the silk skirt before sliding the fine material up her muscled thighs in a slow rhythm that made his teeth ache.

“Anders,” Marian breathed, wrapping both arms around his neck as she turned her face up for a kiss. He shivered when she slipped her slender fingers into his windblown hair, and a hunger he had not known himself to own seized his senses and drove him to claim her mouth in an almost animalistic way.

The gesture ignited an intense spark of pure need between them, and Anders slipped a knee between her legs and silently guided them apart. Marian shuddered against him and pulled on the locks of tousled hair trapped between her fingers. He growled into her mouth and broke the kiss so that he could bite down on her bottom lip.

The heady scent of her musk was fast filling the air, assaulting his senses. He fought the urge to spin Mari around and take her hard up against the wall, to claim her like a beast and mark her with his scent. The internal fight was one of the hardest battles that Anders had ever had face, but it was a necessary restraint. He needed to build up his semen reserve in order for the plan of conception to be successful.

The taint in his blood would no doubt cause complications, but Anders knew for a fact that Grey Wardens were not completely sterile. The Warden Commander had managed to conceive a child with King Alistair by means of herbal fertility aids. Fortunately for Anders, Queen Elissa had been kind enough to give him the recipe for that particular potion, and even more opportune was the method of administering the concoction – manual application via the anal passage. The tissue in the area had the uncanny ability of rapidly absorbing any material introduced to it.

Marian’s specialization as a rogue allowed her to have a sensitive tongue capable of deciphering anything amiss in a drink with one taste. Anders would able to fool her once by masking the taste of the Hora Somni by mixing the potion with a strong wine, preferably one that she had never tasted before. Her trust in him would dull her rogue instincts and leave her receptive of anything that he gave her – to a point.

Anders would never be able to dose her with two different potions in the same night. Mari’s tongue would be quick to pick up on a general fertility potion after having sampled wine laced with the Hora Somni. If he knew he could get away with not being discovered by an outside party, Anders would write Elissa a letter of gratitude for helping him pave the way towards securing his future with his Marian via her special concoction. However, his gut told him that his Commander would flay him alive if she ever knew the truth of his actions, so silent thanks would have to do.

A sudden tremor sprouted in his core and spread its roots out towards the rest of his body. Anders released a shaky exhale across Marian’s mouth and dug the tips of his fingers into the hard flesh of her thighs. “Mari,” he groaned, pressing a heated kiss to her lips. “I want you so bad it hurts, love….”

“I want you, too,” she breathed, arching into him, “so much, but -”

Anders cut off her protests with a sharp bite to her bottom lip. He didn’t want to hear it; he didn’t want those pretty, kiss-swollen lips of hers to form the words that killed a piece of him every time she spoke the reminder of needing to be careful. “I know,” he growled, locking his gaze with her ethereal eyes. He pressed her shaky form hard into the earthen wall and used his hands to roughly spread her thighs open even wider.

Desire and love warred within the amber seas of his eyes, scorching the surface of the irises with an intensity that stifled the air in the room. Anders grazed his lips against Mari’s mouth in a tender kiss before slowly lowering himself to his knees. He pushed up the remaining length of cloth obstructing his view.

“Hold this,” Anders commanded, bunching the loose silk around her waist. He fingered a small patch of wetness quickly spreading across the colorless material of her smallclothes. “Don’t you dare let it go, Mari, and don’t you dare make a sound, unless you want the others to hear you.”

A whimper sounded in Marian’s throat and clung to her bruised lips as she complied, but she kept one hand in his hair. Anders leaned forward and nosed the damp material covering her sex, breathing in the salty musk of her. The aroma made his mouth water, and he wondered how his sanity could have stayed intact after being forced to go so long without touching her.

Anders parted his lips and flicked the tip of his tongue across the center of her sex. Fingers tightened their hold in his hair, and the possessiveness of it sent a thrill spiraling up his spine. He wanted to consume her, to take her into his body and hold her within him until the day the Maker returned to reclaim His place in the world, and even then, not even He would be able to separate their souls.

He smiled against her as a delightful shiver rippled through her form. Concentrated need burned within him, and Anders pressed his lips to her heated sex and sucked the moisture from her smallclothes. Hunger flared again within him, and he tightened his hold on her smooth thighs. Mari bucked her hips, arching her center into his face, and Anders gripped the fine material with his teeth and slowly tugged it down to reveal the treasure that lay hidden beneath.

“Anders,” she sighed, her sweet voice filled with so much love it burned through his flesh and embedded itself into the very center of his being. Anders moaned and nosed the delicate petals of her vagina, nipping at the vulnerable folds with the very edges of his teeth. His aroused member strained against the confines of his pants and demanded release, but Anders was quick to silence its silent call.

He needed to keep his head clear to do what must be done.

Marian cried out as Anders pressed his tongue against the bead of her clitoris. Her knees bent slightly, and the mage knew that her toes were curled tight within her silken shoes. He sucked on the sensitive pearl for several long moments, reveling in the bittersweet taste of her arousal that coated his tongue. His lovely Mari had bit down on her lips after releasing that first cry, and Anders knew that she would be too lost in her pleasure and in the challenge to keep silent to pay attention to what his hands were doing.

He bestowed one last nibble to her clitoris before completely plunging his tongue into the slick passage of her sex. Mari arched into him and unconsciously spread herself even further for him. Anders took the opportunity to fetch the small vial containing the fertility potion from his robes, thumbing the cork free from the opening with practiced ease.

A muffled cry sounded from behind Mari’s closed lips as he began fucking her with his tongue, and Anders made a point to suck on her as he moved the smooth muscle in and out of her heated passage. Her sex was dripping wet, and he could feel her juices spilling out from the corners of his mouth where small rivulets slowly trekked down his chin and down the slope of his throat.

His love was lost in a world of pleasure, and Anders used the opportunity to administer the potion. He dipped his right index finger into the yellow liquid and made sure that it was coated thickly before taking the digit and easing it into Marian’s puckered entrance. She jerked against the wall and pulled on his hair, pushing back against his finger almost desperately.

Anders moaned into her center and swirled his finger inside of her anal passage, making sure to coat every possible inch with the potion. He sped the rhythm of his cadence and took care to work the pearl of her sex with his teeth as he continued to claim her with his tongue. She whimpered and pulled at her skirt as he pulled out his finger and dipped it once again into the vial.

It was almost empty when he was done coating his finger, and Anders was grateful that the concentration of the potion was so potent. There was no possible way it would fail to stimulate Mari’s body into becoming fertile after he gave her this second dose. A savage groan rumbled in Anders’s throat as he rammed his finger into her loosened hole, and a deep feeling of satisfaction welled in his heart as the action inspired his love to reach her climax.

Marian arched into him and simultaneously pulled him closer by the hair as the muscles of her sex contracted around his tongue. The numerous spasms of her orgasm squeezed at the finger still embedded in her backside, and Anders found himself torn from removing it from her body and replacing it with his arousal or simply removing it. He slid his tongue out from her sex and rested the side of his heated face against her right thigh as he struggled to catch his breath.

Anders was rock hard and crazy with need. The lingering smell of Marian’s scent on his skin made him dizzy with desire, and he found himself wanting to bend her over the nearby examination table and fuck her until there was no more breath left in his body – but he had to remind himself that he couldn’t.

He slowly extracted his finger from her backside and pressed one last kiss to her oversensitive sex before rising to his feet. The sight that greeted him only fueled his craving, and Anders had to bite down on his tongue to distract himself from the rising emotion. Her short, black hair was damp with sweat, her porcelain skin flushed with pleasure, and her eyes – the love shining within them was almost his undoing.

She released her hold on her skirt and reached out to touch him, but Anders quickly pulled away, “No!” he cried, and immediately felt like scum when Mari recoiled as if she had been slapped. He cupped her face and pressed a kiss to her lips. “It’s my punishment,” he lied, pressing his forehead against her temple. “I deserve it for hurting you, my love.”

The tension instantly drained from Marian’s body, and she took Anders in a loving embrace. “I have something to take care of, darling,” he continued, nuzzling her bangs, “but I will be home in a couple of days. We can talk then, okay?”

“Okay,” she replied, touching her lips to his neck. Anders could feel her reluctance as she unwound her arms from his body and stepped away to right herself. Carnal yearning surged through his body as he watched her grab her ruined smallclothes from around her knees and pull the wet material back up toward her hips. She shivered as the damp silk made contact with her swollen sex, and Anders had to turn away from the sight.

He jumped when she touched him lightly on the arm, but quickly eased her worry with a forced smile that he knew would seem genuine – years of practice had perfected the art. “Hurry home,” she pleaded, touching his cheek with her fingertips. “I’ll be waiting for you.”

“I shall not make you wait long, my heart,” Anders replied, touching his lips to the inside of her wrist. “Though I can’t promise not to hold back when I get home,” he added, waggling his eyebrows.

“You better not,” Marian smirked, and tenderly kissed the corner of his mouth.

Anders watched her walk away, and he suddenly found himself needing some kind of reassurance that he was doing the right thing. “Mari,” he called out after her. Her steps stilled just as she stepped into a rare patch of sunlight, and she turned around to look in his direction.

“Do I make you happy?”

“You silly man, you should know the answer. You’re my heart, Anders.”

And with that reply, Marian inadvertently sealed the deal.

~*~

It was late in the evening when Anders finally passed through the doorway of the mansion, and the last thing he had expected to see upon walking into his home was a wounded Marian sprawled out on the wood floor in front of the fireplace. Fear gripped his heart and threatened to cut off the blood circulation in his body, but the mage managed to shake off his alarm and summoned his healer instincts. He hastily pushed through the small crowd surrounding Marian and rushed towards her side.

“Mari!”

His heart lurched in his chest as she blindly reached out for him with a shaky hand. Her skin was pale and covered in a fine sheen of sweat and dirt. A significant amount of blood had soaked through the heavy layers of her armor, and for a moment, Anders felt completely useless.

“Shh, it’s all right, love,” he soothed, pushing back her sweat soaked bangs. “I’m here now, and I’m going to heal you. Everything is going to be fine.”

Marian turned a dazed gaze towards him and managed to nod before she doubled up in pain. The action only further irritated her injuries, and Anders’s heart nearly stopped dead in his chest as fresh blood began to leak from the wounds. She was going into shock, and if he didn’t start patching her up soon, there was a good chance that he was going to lose her – and he wasn’t going to let that come to pass.

“What happened?” Anders demanded, piercing Varric into place with an angry stare. He was trying hard to ignore Sebastian’s lingering presence beside Mari’s fallen form, especially the possessive way the archer’s hands were covering one of her smaller ones.

“We got ambushed by one of those damn street gangs. Bastards came out of nowhere, Blondie! Some fucker got two shots in before Bianca took him down. We managed to get a restorative potion down her throat, but Hawke’s in pretty bad shape.”

“Oh, Anders!” Merrill cried, wringing her hands. “I tried to heal her, but you know that I’m just rubbish at it and I think I made it worse! Oh, I’ll never forgive myself if Hawke doesn’t pull this!”

Anders cursed and called forth his healing energy. A soft, blue glow erupted from his palms and covered the calloused skin, and he ran open hands over Marian’s chest to stabilize her erratic heartbeat before he turned his attention to her injuries. There were two gaping wounds in the center of her torso where the arrows had hit their mark and torn through delicate flesh.

The sight of them ignited a rage within Anders that surpassed any anger he had ever felt before – including the night at The Hanged Man. He was concentrating so hard on mending damaged tissue and organs that he barely heard Sebastian’s heated accusation.

“If she dies, mage, it will be your fault. Her health wouldn’t have deteriorated so much if you had been on sight to heal her.”

Hate flared and solidified within Anders’s core, and he couldn’t hold back the wave of fury that rose up within him and pushed through his skin. The dark energy instantly choked off his healing aura and replaced it with an urgent desire for vengeance. Anders slowly rose to his feet and stepped around Marian’s trembling form. He stalked over towards Sebastian with a quiet grace that screamed deadly intent.

Sebastian picked up on the mage’s bloodlust and released Marian’s hand. He stood up to face the irate mage, but knew that he was outmatched. There was no skill or weapon in his arsenal that could effectively counter Anders when the man was infused with Justice’s power, but he wasn’t going to idly stand by without saying what he needed to say.

“You don’t deserve her, Anders! You never have, and you never will. If you hadn’t turn tail and run away like a cowed dog when you finally realized that I’m the better man for her, maybe Hawke wouldn’t have been so distracted with worry for you! Her falling is your fault!”

“Shut your fucking mouth, you preachy son-of-a-bitch!” Anders snarled, rushing Sebastian with an unnatural speed. He grabbed the man by the collar of his uniform and slammed him hard against the stone wall. “Mari fell because you failed to protect her, you spineless bastard! What’s wrong, Sebastian, you can’t fight without a mage clearing the way for you?”  
“I don’t need a mage to help me fight!” Sebastian spat, locking his fingers around Anders’s wrists. “Let me go and I’ll show you what I can do! I’ll prove to you that I’m worthy enough to protect her!”

A muscle danced wildly in Anders’s clenched jaw, and he stared hard into the pinned rogue’s eyes. “You have no idea what it means to guard Marian,” he seethed. The urge to throw Sebastian across the room burned in his veins like wildfire, but he managed to fight it off.

“Defending her means killing to keep her safe, Sebastian, it means jumping in front of her and becoming a human shield without a care for your well-being. If you aren’t prepared to kill or die for her without notice or thought then you are the one who will never deserve her!”

“You’re mad!” Sebastian barked, pulling weakly at Anders’s arms. “Your growing lunacy is going to do nothing but get her killed! You’re doing to damn her – damn us all – I just know it!”

“Please!” Merrill sobbed. “Stop arguing right now! Hawke doesn’t need this…horrible mess…she needs to be supported, not stressed out even more! She’s still on death’s doorstep for crying out loud!”

Her weak plea was oddly more than enough to calm some of the hate bubbling in Anders’s heart. As much as he couldn’t stand Merrill, she was actually right for once - putting Sebastian in his place wasn’t worth Hawke’s life. His grip on the archer’s clothes loosened, but resolve still burned brightly within the mage’s eyes.

“I’m not crazy, I’m in love. Maybe one day you’ll understand what that means.” Anders shoved the man’s shoulders into the wall before releasing his hold on him. “Now get out of our home, Sebastian. I have to take care of my wife.”

“Keep dreaming, Anders! She’ll never belong to you in that way!”

“Just because your precious Chantry won’t recognize our bond doesn’t mean that our commitment to each other doesn’t exist,” Anders countered, walking back towards Hawke. “And just for the record, your little marriage to the Chantry means that you have no business chasing after my Mari, so back off.”

“This isn’t over!” Sebastian spat. He straightened his rumpled clothing and ran a hand over his disheveled hair.

“Oh, but it is,” Anders replied as he kneeled beside Marian once again. He took in a deep, cleansing breath and reined in the lingering anger and hate simmering just beneath his skin. It took longer than he would have liked, but he finally regained full control of his mind and body.

“If you two tomcats are quite done with your pissing contest,” Varric suddenly chimed in, “then I suggest you get back to healing, Blondie. Daisy’s right, Hawke isn’t out of the woods just yet.”

Shame filled every cell in Anders’s body as an intense, blue gaze speared him straight through his eyes. He had managed to forget that Marian had still been awake when he was healing her, and that meant that she had heard every word that had passed between him and Sebastian. He wasn’t sure whether to be relieved or alarmed by the fact; either way, there was no holding back anymore. Anders had at last made his claim, and soon, he would cement it.

Not another word was spoken between anyone in the room as he finished healing the ghastly wounds. The process took a little over an hour, but that was mostly due to Anders reinforcing all individual fibers of the injured tissue and organs. He wasn’t going to take any chances. It was a necessary process if Marian was going to successfully conceive and carry the child to full term.

Finally, when Anders was satisfied that Marin’s body was properly mended – and then some – he released his healing aura and closed his eyes as he sat back onto his heels. He was beyond exhausted, and was a rather shocked when he felt a cool, damp towel pat his sweaty forehead clean. He opened his eyes and found Merrill standing over him with a crooked smile on her elfin face.

“I was getting rather worried there for a minute, but everything seems to be all right now,” she commented. Merrill reached into a rather well hidden pocket in her leggings and pulled out a small vial of lyrium. She pressed it into Anders’s right hand and gave Hawke a light touch on her head before walking towards the front foyer.

“Come on, everyone, it’s best that we get going,” Merrill began, placing the damp cloth on a side table sitting near the foyer entrance. “Hawke’s out of danger, and Anders is more than capable of taking care of her.” She gave Sebastian a pointed look. “She needs proper rest and time to catch her breath. We’re only getting in the way of that.”

Sebastian huffed and Varric cleared his throat to try and drown the sound. “I’m glad you’re still in the land of the living, Hawke,” the dwarf smiled, walking towards Merrill. Marian weakly returned the gesture, and gave her friend a playful wink.

Varric laughed softly. “Don’t go do something crazy like go line dancing at The Hanged Man tonight. Get some rest; I’ll stop by in a couple of days and see how you’re doing.”

Anders drank the offered lyrium and set the vial aside as he sent a grateful nod towards Merrill and Varric. He ignored the withering glare coming from Sebastian’s direction and forced himself to sit still when he heard the man step towards Marian. Anders chose to keep his gaze fixed firmly on his beloved’s face.

“I’m here if you need anything, my friend. You know how to get in touch with me.”

The urge to lash out and break Sebastian’s face flared in Anders’s core, but he pushed it down. There were more important things to attend to, and the pompous asshole wasn’t worth wasting any more time or energy. Soon enough, the man would be nothing but a shadow of a memory. Anders heard Bodhan escort the group to the front door and was wondered at the dwarf’s sense of timing. He seemed to always make an appearance just after the passing of a storm.

Marian coughed and moved to get up from the floor. Anders wrapped an arm around her torso and helped her into a sitting position. “This wasn’t the welcoming I had hoped to give you,” she chuckled, wincing as a wave of dulled pain spiraled through her freshly mended flesh.

“I should’ve been there,” Anders whispered, pressing a kiss to her temple. “That stupid Chantry minion is right, you know. If I had been there, I could’ve spared you pain. Hell, I could’ve prevented you from ever getting hurt.”

“I’m not infallible, Anders, and neither are you. Bad things happen sometimes, and no matter how much we try to fight against them, we fall.” Marian sighed and pressed her forehead against the side of Anders’s neck.

“But I love you for willing to brave the horrors with me – for me. I can’t begin to tell you what that means to me, what you mean to me.”

Tears burned in Anders’s eyes, but he quickly blinked them away. “I’m your unsanctioned husband, Mari. It’s my welcomed duty to live and breathe only for you.”

A contented sigh spilled from Marian’s lips and washed over his skin like a silent benediction. “I don’t care if the Chantry will never recognize what we have, Anders, because like you said earlier, it doesn’t discount what breathes between us. I am yours, entirely, for now until the day we die.”

The weight of the potion vial sitting in Anders’s pocket suddenly seemed to triple, and he knew that it was time. He had to act now, or risk losing his chance forever. “Forever,” he vowed, and took her lips in a heated kiss that Marian wholeheartedly returned. After what seemed like an eon, he slowly broke the kiss and wrapped his arms securely around her slim form.

Anders steadied her in his arms and balanced their combined weight on his legs as he carefully rose to his feet and began ascending the stairs towards their room.

“As your healer,” he began, kissing the tip of her nose, “I am prescribing a nice, hot bath to help you convalesce. After that, my dear, you are to have a full glass of the newly imported Antivan wine that I picked up at the market today before going to bed.”

Marian giggled and wrapped her arms around his neck. “You spoil me, healer.” She lightly bit down on her lip and gazed up at Anders’s face through long lashes. “I was hoping…I’ve missed you….”

He swallowed hard and touched his lips to hers. “I’ve missed you, too, but there will be plenty of time to catch up after you’ve had a full night’s rest, love.”

“Okay. I suppose one more night won’t kill me. At least I don’t think it will.”

Anders laughed heartily and crossed the threshold to their room. He gently placed her on the bed before turning back towards the door. “I’m off to get your bath started, lovely, and to prepare your glass of wine. It’s red, so it will need to breathe for a bit before it passes through those luscious lips of yours.”

He snatched her happy sigh from the air and held it close to his heart. Anders was going to need all of the courage and spiritual support that he could gather if he was going to go through with the plan without feeling guilty.

~*~

Marian had been soaking in her bath for nearly an hour, and Anders had a feeling that the magnitude of the night’s events had finally caught up with her. She had very nearly died. No one experienced something like that without having some kind of mental breakdown, and that included his Mari. Anders admired her strong will and ironclad conviction, but he was certain that even she must be trembling like a frightened child on the inside.

He felt horrible for leaving her alone at such a time, but preparing the Hora Somni concoction required time. The potion had to breathe for at least half of an hour before it could be used, and mixing it correctly with another liquid called for patience. In order for the brew to retain its concentration and stability, Anders had to titrate the potion into the red wine until an equal pH balance was reached.

The wine would turn a bright fuchsia when the mixture was ready. The process was a rather tedious one, and it required the upmost endurance. Using a rubber dropper to perform the procedure taxed the nerves, but Anders was more than willing to deal with it. Marian’s long bath had provided a rather fortuitous opportunity to allow him to complete the procedure without giving into his need to rush it, and now that it was done he could finally put his plan into motion.

He stared at the crystal goblet sitting on the marble counter and felt a great wave of fulfillment wash over his mind. Soon, he would fortify his bond with Marian, and in the same move he would also insure the future, not only for their sake, but for the sake of every mage that lived now and those that would come into being.

His love was The Champion of Kirkwall, a woman who commanded power and strength beyond that of a normal person. Not even Meredith dared to tangle with Marian, and that spoke volumes about Marian’s influence and strength. Her spiritual fortitude combined with his unwavering determination would allow them to move the world if they dared – and Anders did. When he finally did make his move, he was confident that Marian would follow him.

If not for his sake, then for that of their child.

The pregnancy would surely awaken Marian’s motherly instincts, which would keep her grounded towards secure areas. Anders knew that she would never put the safety of their child at risk, especially after coming close to death herself. She would fight to keep her family together. After tonight’s events, she would more than likely stay out of any physical battles. However, if he knew his beloved, Mari would insist on using her voice.

She would rise and take a stand for what was right, and every argument that Marian made with her silver tongue would act as covert attacks that had the capability to rip through the hearts of anyone who dared to oppose her. Anders would volunteer to become her living weapon.

Together, the two of them would move mountains, and Anders would ensure that their children would be raised to take the reins when he and Marian could no longer fight. Their family would be founded on love and justice and friendship, and he knew that it would be a healing balm to soothe the lingering ache Marian carried within her heart. She had lost her entire family to tragic events, but Anders would give her a new one, and in turn a new reason for living.

He was certain that their child would be born with magical abilities, and Marian would fight to the death to protect the babe. Perhaps their child would even inspire the friends who doubted, ignored, or were simply against the plight of the mages. No true friend or ally of Marian Hawke would be able to turn a blind eye to her child and allow the little one to fall into peril.

Anders could see the future unfold before his eyes, as clear as the crystal that contained the key that would kick-start it all. All that was left was to take the proverbial ball into his hands and toss it out toward the welcoming arms of fate. He reached out with a reverent touch and took the waiting goblet into his hands before climbing the steps that led towards life and hope.

Marian was waiting for him when Anders entered the room. She was lying on top of their large bed, completely naked, and the sight of her made his mouth water. He caught a small glimpse of a haunted look crashing within her eyes before Mari blinked it away. She greeted Anders with a warm smile, and though he knew that she was hurting, he could not help but to return it.

“Is that for me?” she asked, flicking her gaze towards the goblet of wine. She stretched lazily, her lithe limbs splaying out along the surface of the silk duvet in the most sinful way. Arousal ignited within Anders’s core and slowly spread throughout his system like warmed honey.

“It is, my love.”

“Aren’t you going to join me?”

Sadness touched Anders’s smile. “You know Justice doesn’t let me drink,” he reminded in a soft tone. “Though I wish he would make an exception just this once. This Antivan wine smells divine.”

“Oh?” Marian replied, raising an eyebrow. She sat up and rested her back against the overstuffed pillows that lined the headboard. “You mentioned that it was new. Where did you get it?”

“It was one of two bottles that a passing merchant selling his wares in Hightown had in his possession,” Anders lied. “After what happened at The Hanged Man, well, let’s just say that I wasn’t too sorry to pay the two sovereigns he was asking for.”

“Two sovereigns for a bottle of wine?! That’s robbery!”

“Maybe so, love, but I kid not when I say that it smells heavenly. My mouth is watering just holding the goblet in my hand, and your lovely, naked self is only making me drool more.”

Marian giggled and coyly patted the crimson material beneath her. “Come join me, Anders. I’m so lonely in this monstrosity of a bed.”

He chuckled and shuffled over towards her, sitting down on the edge of the mattress. Anders gave Marian an intense stare as he held out the crystal goblet and presented it to her like a priceless treasure. She gave him a curious look and reached out to take the offered drink from his possession. Anders was surprised at the gentle way that she held the delicate chalice.

He watched with greedy eyes as Marian raised the goblet towards her face and inhaled the flowery scent of the mixed concoction. “It does smell lovely,” she commented, eyeing the liquid through the crystal. “And it’s such a beautiful color.”

“Drink up, darling,” Anders encouraged, running his fingertips down the side of her face. “The wine will help you fall asleep, and I’ll be here to take care of you until you wake. I’m never going to leave your side again.”

A dark look ran across her face, and he wasn’t quite prepared for the unreadable look that it left in its wake. “What’s wrong, Mari?”

“I wanted to do serious bodily harm to Isabela that night, Anders.” She bit down on her bottom lip and pulled the cup close to her chest. “I – we weren’t virgins when we got together, I know this, but I don’t ever want to see your hands on anyone ever again. I know she…accosted…you that night, but she’s wrong, I don’t want Sebastian. I just want you, Anders. Sometimes, I wish that we could get married so that people would finally understand that.”

Love surged through Anders’s heart as Marian’s words filtered into his skin and embedded themselves into his blood stream. Her declaration erased any lingering doubt that he had in his mind about what he was about to do. Mari’s fear of giving birth to a magical child would never go away, not without help, but Anders was confident that the fear would gradually subside when he informed her that the child would bond them together as man and wife - after the handfasting of course, which her parents had done to secure their own love.

He knew she could never deny something her own parents had embraced. Anders was also certain that Mari would be more receptive to conceiving more children after the first. Should she ever learn the truth of his actions regarding the first child, he was sure that she would forgive him. She had to, or else her words and proclamations of love meant nothing and all would be lost.  
“Never lose hope, love,” he soothed, and leaned over to touch his lips to her mouth. “You taught me that. Change will come one day, and then nothing will stop us from standing up for what’s right. We’ll always be together, my heart, in this life and the next. This I promise you.”

Marian released a shaky sigh and leaned into Anders’s body. He gently wrapped his fingers around her wrists and moved them up until the rim of the goblet was resting against the seam of her mouth. “You’ve had enough stress and trauma tonight, Mari. No more dark thoughts. It’s time to rest now. Drink, lovely, drain the chalice dry and let me hold you in my arms while you sleep.”

Anders swallowed hard as long, sooty eyelashes fell closed in acquiescence to his will. The darkness of the curled hair against her pale skin sent a wave of longing through him that robbed him of breath, and he watched, mesmerized, as her lush mouth parted just enough to embrace the crystal rim with her lips.

A loud moan welled up from Anders’s chest and spilled from his mouth like an offered prayer. Arousal coursed through his mind and body with a roguish energy that left him lightheaded and hungry with the primal desire that had attacked him the day he had taken Mari with his mouth in the clinic. He took in a shuddering breath and attempted to calm his nerves, but it was a futile gesture.

Enraptured, Anders found that he could not take his eyes from the movement of her throat as she willingly swallowed his offered blend. He had to fight the urge to throw the cup aside and fill her mouth with his throbbing arousal and fuck her mouth just so that he could watch her swallow his release when he came. The thought of doing it ate at his insides like acid.

He was so overtaken with his love and desire for Marian that he could not help but push the empty goblet away and chase the last drop of the drink with his tongue. Anders heard the crystal fall and shatter against the hard tile of the floor, but he shoved the outside world away and drowned in the scent and taste of his Mari.

A stimulating mixture of rose and sandalwood perfume covered her bare skin, and Anders inhaled the fragrance like a starving man. She sighed into his mouth and wrapped her arms around his neck, and he growled and sucked on her tongue as he pushed her back to lie against the bed. Satisfaction reared its head and pulsed in his blood as Marian adjusted her position so that she was fully beneath him. It was an act of submission, and it was a gift that he wasn’t going to squander.

Anders hastily broke the kiss and rose up on his knees. He pulled at his robes and loosened the ties as he stared down at the desire blooming in Marian’s eyes. The black pupils were expanding, covering the blue seas of her irises like a dark promise. A faint blush was blooming just beneath the skin of her face and chest, evidence of her growing arousal. Anders wanted to break the skin with his teeth and lap at the rising blood.

“Anders,” she breathed, reaching out towards him with a heavy hand. It was clear that the potion was hard at work, and Anders gave her another five minutes until her mind was completely overtaken. He would finally be free to lay claim on her and the future.

“Don’t forget the silk paper….”

A savage growl tore from Anders’s lips as he leaned down and covered Marian’s parted mouth with his lips. Surprised by his possessive energy, she jerked beneath him, but did not refuse him her kiss. Anders thoroughly explored her mouth with lips, teeth, and tongue, and he felt her body begin to relax beneath him.

Her response to his kisses gradually slowed and finally stopped, and a breathy sigh spilled into Anders’s mouth as Marian drifted off into deep slumber. He swallowed it and continued to kiss her lax mouth, feeling a strange sense of perverseness take root in his center as he trailed heated hands along the swell of her breasts and the smooth curve of her hips.

Finally, when he could no longer ignore the demanding need throbbing between his legs, Anders pulled his mouth away and stared down at Marian’s sleeping form. Her lovely face was free of the tension that normally covered it, and the tight control that she insisted on wielding like an invisible blade had dissipated when she fell asleep.

“Mari,” Anders whispered, touching her slack lips with the tips of his fingers. His only response was the quiet cadence of even breathing. The hunger that he had been fighting for days finally broke free of its cage and gushed into his system, leaving Anders trembling with dark desire. He rose from the bed and pulled a small vial from the pocket of his robes, uncorking it with a small flick of his wrist.

He drank the jade green potion in one swallow, and its effect on his body was immediate. His erection hardened even more, and the burning need boiling in his veins doubled. Dizziness spiraled in Anders’s mind, and he leaned against the large bed post to keep from falling over. The sexual aid that he had taken was meant for men with erection problems, but Anders wasn’t going to take any chances with his plan.

Marian would be out for at least twelve hours, and the stimulant would keep Anders hard and ready for action for at least six. His semen was stocked up (thanks to his dedication of axing masturbation), and the fertility potion he had administered to Mari should have already prepared her body for conception. There was more than enough time to properly work on creating their child, and Anders intended on enjoying every minute of it.  
~*~  
He stripped out of his robes with shaky hands, feeling every bit like a blushing virgin as various pieces of material fell to his feet like a shed skin. Anders couldn’t recall ever feeling this nervous before, not even during his initial encounter with a woman. His first time had been with a rather wicked mage two years his senior.

Lily had cornered him in the showers one day – how she had managed to get in the boy’s area without being caught remained a mystery even today – and the girl had pretty much had her way with him for a good half hour before leaving him alone standing on shaky knees beneath a cold spray of water as she slunk back into the ranks.

Anders had been fifteen, and Lily’s impromptu life lesson and abrupt departure had left him hungry for more. She had never looked at him again after their little rendezvous in the boy’s shower room, so he had improvised to satisfy his need – which meant extending invitations to members of the same sex. A seasoned partner here, a frightened virgin there…before Anders realized it he was almost eighteen and had slept with half of the residents in the tower.

Out of all of those partners, love had never bothered to reach out to Anders to spiritually connect him to one of them. It wasn’t until fate had thrown Marian into his path that he had finally acknowledged love’s existence, had felt what it was to find the other half of his soul and reunite the two pieces together.

Only Mari, with her determination for justice, her will of steel, and her heart of gold, had possessed the power to rip down the invisible walls covering Anders form head to toe. He had been forced back into the sunlight in the process, and it had been a blessing to feel the sun’s warm on his skin once again. Marian was everything to him, and he would never be able to repay her for helping him find his humanity once again.

He stood beside the bed for a long moment and stared down at her lovely form, visually drinking in the sight of her smooth skin. There were numerous scars on her body from fights that she had encountered over the years. Mari was self-conscious of them, but in Anders’s eyes, her scars only enhanced her beauty. Each one was a mark of victory, a lasting testament of her indestructible strength.

Anders licked his lips and placed his knees at the edge of the down mattress. He rested his full weight on his knees as he leaned forward and lay his hands beside Marian’s head, framing her lovely head with splayed fingers as he shifted some of his weight to his arms. Her breathing was even and deep, and a thrill of anticipation pulsed in his veins as he leaned down and took one nipple into his mouth.

There would be no stopping him tonight; he wouldn’t have to endure any verbal interruptions in their shared passion. Anders would be able to indulge himself without having to worry about the damn silk paper, or what position he was taking Marian, or how deep he was thrusting. Her body would finally belong completely to him, if only for the evening.

His arousal throbbed in approval at the idea, and Anders felt the tip of his erection brush over the delicate skin of her thigh, leaving behind a wet, sticky trail in its wake. The delicious friction sent a wave of pleasure rippling through his mind and body, and he couldn’t help but sink his teeth into the flesh in his mouth – he barely held back from breaking the skin.

Anders wanted to mark Marian as his. It was an animalistic urge, but it was one that he was no longer going to try and deny. He held her nipple with the edges of his teeth and licked the tip of it with his tongue before releasing the swollen nub and trailing the smooth muscle up towards Marian’s neck.

He brushed his lips across the base of her throat and nuzzled her jaw line with his nose. The lingering perfume on her skin was making him dizzy, and he swooped in and stole a kiss from her relaxed mouth. Anders traced the slick tissues with his tongue and sucked on her lips before pulling away to make his way back down her lithe form.

A soft moan sounded in Marian’s throat as Anders lapped at the small beads of sweat pushing through the pores of her torso. He shivered and nipped at the taut skin of her belly. Anders raked his teeth across the small slope of her bellybutton and dipped his tongue into the small crevice, feeling the small measure of what was left of his willpower crack and crumble with every taste. His arms were trembling from his sheer resolve of taking things slow, but Anders knew that he would fall any moment now.

He shifted more of his body onto the bed and sat back on his heels, covering her muscled thighs with trembling hands. It was time – Anders couldn’t wait any longer. His erection was hot and heavy between his legs, and if he didn’t act soon, he was going to let go before he even entered Marian. If that happened, the bulk of his semen reserve would be wasted.

Anders parted her thighs gently and drew circles into her damp skin with the calloused pads of his thumb. A small rivulet of pre-come was slowly trailing down the length of his member, and he ached down to his teeth with the need to take Marian hard and fast. He was going to have to prepare her first unless he wanted to cause her pain – there wasn’t any time to go through the proper foreplay he had intended to perform before penetration.

He swallowed hard and pushed her thighs apart as far as they would go before cautiously kneeling down to the floor to avoid brushing his arousal across the silky bedcovers. The flower of her sex was emitting a lovely musky scent that reached out and grabbed him by the nose hairs, demanding his full attention. Anders’s mouth watered as the fragrance worked its way into his system and settled into his veins.

The petals were beckoning to him, begging for his kisses and his touch. Anders released one thigh and reached out to brush his fingertips across the velvet skin. He parted the delicate folds with his thumb and index finger, pressing down on the shining jewel sitting in its throne at the apex of her sex.

Marian’s hips jumped before him, and a contented sigh spilled from her slack lips and curled around him like a wordless spell. Anders shivered and opened up his Mari even more. He parted his lips and leaned forward, pressing an open-mouthed kiss to her sex before plunging his tongue deep inside.

Liquid warmth encased the smooth muscle, and Anders felt Marian’s heat unfurl along his taste buds and stretch down into his throat, where it lovingly stoked the fire already burning in his center. A soft whine hummed within him as he kissed the flower before him, and he reveled in the moment of finally being able to fuck her properly with his tongue.

He bit down into the soft skin and sucked the juices gathering at Marian’s core with greedy inhales. The musky flavor of her growing arousal was slowly unraveling him from the inside out, and Anders knew that he wasn’t going to be able to restrain himself for much longer. Though deep in her induced sleep, Marian’s breath was quickening as Anders caressed her sex with his mouth.

Her eyebrows were furrowed, drawn together by the silent pleasure coursing through her system. It was a tell-tale sign that she was close to achieving an orgasm. Helping Marian reach her climax before he entered her would ensure that her body would be completely open to receiving his seed, and it would also guarantee that Anders would not physically damage her most precious area in any way.

Anders doubled his efforts and slid two fingers deep into her dripping sex, curving his fingers upwards. His free hand held on tightly to the thigh beneath it as Marian’s body suddenly arched into his fierce kiss. She spread her legs wide open in her sleep and finally succumbed to their joined ardor, and it was all Anders could do to hold still as her slumbering form jerked and trembled before him.

The rhythmic spasm of muscles around his tongue lulled Anders into a light state of euphoric bliss, but he kept himself firmly in check. His erection was heavy between his legs, and it was so hard Anders felt physical pain. He couldn’t wait any longer. Marian was moving into the afterglow stage when he withdrew his tongue and fingers and released his hold on her.

His body shook with the effort it took to move fast and efficiently. Anders leaned down just slightly and pulled Marian by her hips until her backside was just barely hanging from the edge of the elevated bed. His heart was beating a staccato of adoration within his chest as he stared down at her lovely form.

Marian’s body was covered in a light sheet of sweat, and her prepared sex glistened in the candlelight. Anders’s mouth went dry as he took in the sight of comingled saliva and his love’s arousal painted on her flushed flower. He pushed her legs open with shaky hands and leaned forward, and tenderly kissed her slack mouth.

“This is it, my love,” Anders breathed against her lips. “Tonight we become one, and our love will take root and flourish within our child. No one will ever again dare to say that our bond is meaningless.”

He laid his sweaty forehead against hers and finally guided himself into her body. A loud moan rumbled in Anders’s chest, echoing in his throat, as his arousal was embraced by delicious heat. He released a sharp exhale across her face and bit down on his lower lip as he pushed himself deep within her.

Ecstasy burst from his core and seeped into his system, and Anders found himself drowning in love and pleasure. He had never been inside of Marian without the silk paper, and he had somehow forgotten how sinfully divine it felt to make love with someone free of any barriers.

It felt like the first time all over again, only enhanced somehow, and Anders knew without a doubt that he wasn’t going to last long – but it was no matter, because he would have enough stamina to go another round, and he would make that time last as long as humanly possible.

He swiped his tongue across Marian’s lips one last time before he guided her legs over his shoulders and pushed himself up into a standing position. The change allowed him to delve deeper into her body, and he cried out softly as he slowly pulled out and pushed back in. He reveled in the sensation of the action, the intense pleasure of the friction and the sweet liberty of being able to take his love and finally make his claim on her.

Anders pulled at Marian’s form until her backside hovered above the bed. He held her securely by the legs as he continued to thrust into her, and he could not help but gradually speed up the rhythm. He had waited so long and had no more willpower to hold back. Anders nuzzled the soft skin of Marian’s calves with his nose and lips. His eyes fell shut and he raked his teeth over the smooth curve of her ankle bone and bit down into her dewy skin.

Marian moaned beneath him and thrashed her head against the silk covers. It was clear that she was receiving pleasure form their secret act, and this knowledge fueled the beast that lived with Anders’s heart. He released his hold on one leg and reached down to stimulate her clitoris. He had barely touched it with his index finger when Marian released a shuddering breath and came.

“Oh, yes,” he moaned into the candlelit room, thrusting harder and faster into her as she rode out her orgasm. “Oh, my darling, how long I’ve waited to have you this way, to finally be able to feel you completely.”

His desire suddenly rose in a sharp crescendo from his gut and crashed down on him like a tidal wave. Anders felt his desire pool southwards as it gathered in his sac. The tremble in his body doubled, tripled, and he threw his head back and let out a guttural moan as he pushed in one last time and finally found his release.

Anders’s mouth fell open as he poured his passion into Marian’s body, and a wave of vertigo pushed down in his mind. He balanced himself by resting his knees against the edge of the mattress, and made sure that his erection, which was still hard, did not move from where it was embedded. He would have to keep Marian’s hips elevated for at least half of an hour to ensure that her body collected every possible drop of semen.

And he would be more than happy to stay in the position they were in now and wait, because his reward would come in the form of a small life form made from his and Marian’s essence. Anders was panting harshly, and when he finally managed to open his eyes, he saw that his Mari was still in deep sleep, but she had been pleasured in turn – and it was only the beginning.

Anders would make sure that pleasure touched every cell in her body as he poured his love into her soul over and over again throughout the night. Come morning, the sun would rise and push through the sheer curtains covering the window. Sunlight would wash over Mari’s strong form and nourish the life growing within, life which would pave the way for freedom for mages everywhere.

Justice would prevail.


End file.
